Lenovo locks new 3G laptops to Vodafone

Chinese PC vendor Lenovo will lock its new laptops with embedded wireless broadband connectivity so they can only be used on Vodafone's third-generation mobile network. Lenovo today announced it had started selling the laptops in Australia, touting the solution as a "truly mobile computing environment" offering built-in wireless broadband access at up to 384kbps.

Chinese PC vendor Lenovo will lock its new
laptops with embedded wireless broadband connectivity so they can
only be used on Vodafone's third-generation mobile
network.

Lenovo today announced it had started selling the laptops in
Australia, touting the solution as a "truly mobile computing
environment" offering built-in wireless broadband access at up to
384kbps.

However the company told ZDNet Australia customers would not
be able to switch between Vodafone's third-generation (3G) mobile
network and those operated by other carriers such as Optus,
Hutchison and Telstra.

"Our agreement with Vodafone is that the notebooks won't allow
you to connect to a network outside of Vodafone," said a
spokesperson for Lenovo.

Lenovo's hardware would certainly be interoperable at least with Optus' network given that Vodafone shares its network with the SingTel subsidiary under a joint development arrangement.

The move is a blow to Australian consumers who have
consistently demonstrated their interest in being able to switch carriers as more competitive offerings come on the market.

The popularity of the mobile number portability scheme is just one example of this trend.

Lenovo also said the laptops' firmware could be upgraded by
software to take advantage of the higher speed HSDPA wireless broadband standard.

Vodafone has flagged plans to eventually provide HSDPA services on the
back of its network, as have Hutchison and Telstra.

Vodafone's network currently extends to select metropolitan areas in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, in addition to airports in those cities and Adelaide and Perth.